Track & Field | 3/19/2022 9:42:00 PM
HIGH POINT, N.C. – North Carolina A&T returned to complete outdoor track and field mode Saturday afternoon during the second of the High Point University Bob Davidson Invitational at Vert Stadium.
The Aggies had nine first-place finishes and 23 top-3 finishes. They also toppled a record and came away with some impressive individual national rankings.
Senior Ayoola Gbolade (women's 1500 meters), senior Cedric McGriff (110 hurdles), senior Delecia McDuffie (women's 400M), freshman Markevus Jackson (men's 400M), junior Aveon Reid (men's 400H), sophomore Brandon Nya (men's 200M), the women's 4x400-meter relay team, graduate Nazah Reddick (women's high jump) and graduate Loren James (women's shot put) were among the winners on Saturday.
A&T took their most significant abundance in the women's 400M. The Aggies captured the top-four spots in the race, with McDuffie winning in 53.10, breaking the previous Vert Stadium record of 53.71. McDuffie, who said she did not have the indoor season she wanted, did close out her indoor season by winning the Big South Conference title in the women's 400. She is undoubtedly excited about the start of her 2022 outdoor season.
"I'm looking for outdoor to be more challenging and intense coming off last year," said McDuffie, an NCAA outdoor national qualifier in the 4x400 and a regional qualifier in the 400 and 4x400 in 2021. She also won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) outdoor title in the 400.
McDuffie's performance on Saturday ranks her second in the nation.
"I want to (break my personal record) in both my races, the 200 and the 400," McDuffie said. "But mainly, I want to get better and gain more experience in the 400 to make it to nationals."
One other Aggie ran a faster time than 53.71 as freshman Grace Nwokocha finished second in 53.51 to rank her fourth in the country. Sophomore Jonah Ross placed third (54.29) and freshman Pebbles Scott (54.65) was fourth. The Aggies had one other top-10 finisher in the women's 400 as sophomore Mykayla Perry (56.29) came in seventh.
"Today was very special. We all came off indoor not knowing what we were supposed to run today, so we just went out there and ran," said McDuffie. "We executed our races like we are supposed to. We've been practicing really hard for the past two weeks since indoor ended, so I was really satisfied at how today ended for us in the 400."
Reid sought some redemption of his own. But it wasn't from last season or the previous indoor season, but from an earlier race on Saturday. Reid lined up for the third and final heat of the 110H. The race started, but the start gun sounded again, indicating a false start when the competitors reached the fourth hurdle. Nevertheless, all the hurdlers completed the race, ignoring the second shot.
Officials decided to re-do the final 110H heat an hour later. A&T senior Cedric McGriff returned to the makeup race and won the event by finishing in 13.99 to rank sixth in the nation. But the long jump was in his past – he finished sixth. Plus, the 400H was in his future. Therefore, Reid did not return.
Instead, Reid finished the 400H in 51.71 to rank sixth nationally.
"I just wanted to make up for my 110 because I wanted to open the season with a sub-14," said Reid. "The 400 hurdles is a tough race, but (A&T track and field coach Duane Ross) always tells us, 'If you anticipate the pain, you won't run well.'
So, I tried to get a good start and let the wind carry me. My day didn't go as planned, but I did not let it bring me down for my next race."
The wind did not treat Gbolade in the women's 1500M. Gbolade won the race with a personal-record 4:45.09.
"I feel like it was a great opener, honestly," said Gbolade, who said she hopes to use the 1500 to run better 800s. "I'm quite satisfied, especially with how tough the wind was today. It was very tough coming down that last 100 with the wind in your face. I probably could have been faster, but I can't complain. I ran a great race. It shocked me a little bit."
Not all the Aggies successes happened on the track. James secured her eighth career outdoor win in the shot put by tossing her best throw 51-feet, 2 ¼-inches. Reddick won the high jump with a leap of 5-feet, 8 ¾-inches. Reddick's jump ranks 10th nationally. Kenady Wilson placed second in the high jump at 5-feet, 7-inches.
Back on the track, the 4x400 team of Scott, Ross, graduate Breanne Bygrave and McDuffie won their event with a time of 3:39.06. It is the seventh-fastest time in the nation.
Fresh off his NCAA indoor championship appearance in the 4x400, Jackson crossed the finish line in 46.58. Jackson, the 2022 Big South indoor champion in the 400, has the fifth-fastest outdoor time in the nation thus far. Sophomore teammate Shemar Chambers finished in second at 47.15 to rank ninth nationally.
Nya closed out the winners for A&T as he finished the 200M with a personal-best 20.73 to rank sixth in the country. Nya had a second-place finish in the 100M at 10.26 for the fifth-fastest time nationally.
Next week, A&T heads to Austin, Texas, to compete in the Texas Relays hosted by the University of Texas, March 23-26.
